


Staying Awake

by Luna_Moon22



Series: Dr Stone Writing (Side Suzu) [6]
Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Insomnia, Late Night Conversations, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Petrification, Slight Canon Divergence, Soft Boys, Taiju is in love with Senkuu instead of Yuzuriha, basically au where Sentai is canon, set during the year where the two of them are alone, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 00:48:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21638479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Moon22/pseuds/Luna_Moon22
Summary: Taiju and Senkuu have trouble sleeping.
Relationships: Ishigami Senkuu & Ooki Taiju, Ishigami Senkuu/Ooki Taiju
Series: Dr Stone Writing (Side Suzu) [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1501844
Comments: 7
Kudos: 186





	Staying Awake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [purpleSquiggles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/purpleSquiggles/gifts).



Sometimes – _often_ , really – the only thing that lets Senkuu relax, slip away, fall asleep, in the night is the rythmic beat that Taiju's breathing always seemed to follow.

Sometimes – _often_ – Senkuu can't relax until Taiju's settled in, right next to him, breathing steady and loud and constant.

Sometimes - _often_ – Senkuu can't sleep until Taiju has already long drifted off. He can't sleep until Taiju's eyes drift closed and his arms grip the edges of Senkuu's clothing – or simply grip Senkuu himself, the nights where it's really too cold for him to stop himself from doing what he secretly wants most nights.

But tonight, Senkuu doesn't think he's going to sleep.

Tonight, he's felt Taiju's tossing and turning more than he's heard any kind of beat or even a rythm of any kind. Tonight Senkuu feels a frown coming over his face and his eyes narrowing as he listens to Taiju rolling across the floor over and over and over and _goddammit he's so tired can't he just go to sleep–_

"Big Oaf."

Taiju shoots up, into a sitting position, and Senkuu almost jumps at the sheer suddenness of the other's movement.

"Jesus–" He frowns, setting his hands on the floor and pushing himself up into a sitting position to be level with the big oaf. Hands are sitting in Taiju's lap, and soft chestnut eyes focus on the skin of his palms in complete silence.

It's almost unnerving.

Taiju's _silence_ is more terrifying than any stone could ever be.

"...Taiju?"

He jerks his head up again, practically whirling his neck around to meet Senkuu's eyes.

"...Senkuu? Ah, did I wake you up?" Those lips, only just frozen in a deep frown, curl upwards into a shaky smile. "Sorry!"

"No, Taiju." Senkuu breathes a deep sigh, raising a hand to rub the back of his hair. "You didn't wake me up, you dumb oaf." He blinks crimson eyes open, glancing at the floor. "...you looked like you weren't resting. I woke you up."

"Oh!" Taiju's bright smile comes right back, and Senkuu takes half a second to question if it ever left in the first place. "Sorry! Did I make you worry, then? I'm fine, Senkuu!" Taiju grins that same bright grin that fills Senkuu's chest with nothing but pure nostalgia.

"Taiju." He frowns, shifting forward to sit perfectly side-by-side with the far more muscular member of their little duo (he honestly wonders how Taiju would even manage to maintain all that muscle in this world where they can't even eat meat, but he doesn't think questioning his Big Oaf is something that ever needs to be done). “C’mon, Big Oaf. Don’t pull this bullshit. You know I can tell.”

“Tell what, Senkuu?” Taiju’s lips shift down, back into something of a frown, and Senkuu thinks that he might be having a bit too much of an influence on his muscle-headed best friend.

“You weren’t resting. It takes you hours to get to sleep every night.” Senkuu raises a hand in his signature thinking pose. “You’re also pulling some serious me shit right now, with this whole denying what’s wrong bullshit. You don’t do that, Taiju.”

Taiju’s mouth drops open, only for a second, before he closes his lips once again and looks away, focusing soft brown irises on the wooden floor beneath them. His hands clench themselves together, and Senkuu thinks that he would like to put his own hand between them.

“So, Big Oaf.” Senkuu inches closer, close enough that their knees are touching when Senkuu crosses his legs in front of him. “Tell me what’s wrong. We can’t work together if we’re not on the same page.”

“I know.” Taiju’s face twists into a small frown. “I know that, Senkuu. But you don’t have to worry about me! I’m fine!”

“You worry about me. Let me return the favor.” He shifts an arm, setting his palm over Taiju’s clenched hands. “Big Oaf–“

Taiju’s head moves up, and Senkuu wonders how it took him this long to notice those deep bags under his eyes.

“–you stayed awake all that time too, yeah?” He closes his fingers around the rough and calloused skin of Taiju’s hands. “You weren’t counting the seconds, but you were staying awake.”

Taiju nods. It’s quick and quiet, nothing more than confirmation.

“…what were you thinking about?”

Senkuu wonders how the question has gone unanswered for so long.

Taiju doesn’t say anything, once again, for a long second. And the uncharacteristic lack of Taiju’s voice is almost unsettling as Senkuu waits for an answer.

“…you.” Taiju whispers, under his breath almost, and Senkuu feels his eyes widen. Just enough for him to be aware of it. “I was thinking about you, Senkuu. About how… I couldn’t just leave you alone. Because you were definitely alive!! So I had to stay awake until you could wake me up!” His lips curl up, back into his signature grin, and Senkuu feels his own facial features relaxing at the sight of it. “And then you did! So it’s okay!”

“But you still can’t sleep.” Senkuu jumps in.

“Neither can you.” Taiju frowns, puffing his cheeks out slightly.

“Well, yeah. We’ve established that.” Senkuu feels himself shifting closer. Their shoulders end up pressed together, and he can feel Taiju lifting an arm, wrapping a muscular bicep around Senkuu’s shoulders and pulling him closer. The scientist leans in, humming softly in content.

“You sleep better like this.” Taiju mutters, and Senkuu tries to remember the last time he heard Taiju be this quiet.

“So do you.” He shoots back in a soft voice as his eyes droop closed.

“I do!” Taiju nods, almost enthusiastically. “So let’s just sleep like this from now on, Senkuu! If we both sleep better when it’s like this, then, like you’d say, it’s just logical, right??”

Senkuu feels a light chuckle coming past his lungs as he leans in, cheek pressing against the top of Taiju’s chest as his eyes flutter closed.

“Yeah. You’re right.”

He feels Taiju wrapping another arm around him, pulling him up and into the Big Oaf’s lap.

“It is only logical.”


End file.
